LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

WAGNER COLLEGE THEATRE

KICKS OFF 45TH SEASON with

The award-winning musical LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS,

DIRECTED BY TONY WINNER MICHELE PAWK

October 2 – 13, 2013

(Staten Island, NY) Wagner College Theatre celebrates its 45th Season with a new production of the popular award-winning musical Little Shop of Horrors, running October 2 through 13, 2013 on the Main Hall Mainstage.

Directed by Wagner Professor and Tony Award-winner Michele Pawk, with music direction by Wagner Professor Dr. Lauri Young, Little Shop of Horrors features a book and lyrics by Howard Ashman with music by Alan Menken.

This affectionate spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies centers on a down-and out skid row floral assistant who becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon "Audrey II" grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite, finally revealing itself to be an alien creature poised for global domination!

“I saw Little Shop of Horrors three times at the Orpheum Theatre once it opened,” said Wagner professor and director Michele Pawk from her Main Hall office. “I was mesmerized by how seemingly simple the storytelling, acting and puppetry seemed to be, when I knew how complex and intricate the process must have been. It’s so much fun to revisit this gem of a musical with the Wagner College Theatre cast who are exploring the 1960s for the first time.”

Based on the low budget 1967 film directed by Roger Corman and screenplay by Charles Griffith that featured a young Jack Nicholson, Little Shop of Horrors debuted off-Broadway at the WPA Theatre in 1982. Directed by Howard Ashman, the production transferred to the Orpheum Theatre off-Broadway where it ran for 5 years and 2,209 performances, winning Best Musical from New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene and Steve Martin were featured in the 1986 film version. Hunter Foster and Kerry Butler led the Broadway production directed by Kathleen Marshall in 2003.

Wagner College Theatre previously presented Little Shop of Horrors in the 1989-90 Season.

Located in Main Hall, the Wagner College Theatre box office can be contacted at (718) 390-3259 or boxoffice@wagner.edu. Starting September 9, Wagner College Theatre Box Office hours are Monday through Friday 12:00Noon-4:00pm. Season subscriptions from $60-$104 are available now. Single tickets are on sale for Little Shop of Horrors with price ranges for children, senior and adult tickets. Wagner College students attend free with current ID.